Easy and Elegant Life

The Search for Everyday Elegance and the Art of Living Well.

Smart Casual Lesson # 6: Turtle(Roll)Neck Sweaters & Suits

It got cold, as I mentioned in my last post, and I find myself layering more and more. Rushing out to take the children to school, I slipped into a favourite sweater and pair of “dad jeans” with my LL Bean duck boots The undershirt I am wearing is of a design new to my wardrobe that I find quite appealing: the Henley. It is casual, a bit retro and very comfortable. I am not usually a t-shirt guy. I don’t like the extra bulk around my waistband (every bit helps), but these athletic cut Henley’s from Merona for Target don’t seem to add too much under an open necked sweater, adding, if anything, a bit of visual interest. It is a look I stole from the Architect.

However, when things do call for a bit more formality and you just don’t feel like pulling a jumper over a shirt and tie, consider the rollneck, what we call the turtleneck in America, sweater. I used this one:

layered under an old and valued glen plaid woolen suit sans vest.

To arrive at an approximation of this:

(Note that in neither case is the suit a skinny, fashionable one. Forward pleated trousers, a slightly extended shoulder, drape and a wider lapel.)

And that same rollneck and the trousers without jacket can be worn under a topcoat for an even more casual look for travel. In your vintage Jag, say.

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